Apple Blog

The sources at Fix-iPhones.com have once again provided the techs at RepairLabs with exclusive photos. We believe that these photos are genuine headphone jack components from the much-anticipated iPad Mini, rumored to be released this September.

In contrast to previously released parts photos from Nowhereelse.fr and iResq.com, we think these photos are more likely to be the real deal.

Supporting Evidence for Genuine iPad Mini Part:

Picture 1, Leaked Headphone Jack Images

Picture 1 (Leaked Headphone Jack Images)

Very similar to iPad 3 headphone jack

It’s short and stumpy: would take up less real estate in iPad mini

Black, not gold—black is the standard Apple color of parts

This is a complete part ready for assembly into device

Standard Apple barcode visible on back

Exact yellow adhesive as used in previous iPad parts

Many similarities to iPad 3 (see below.)

Leaked Photo’s Similarities to iPad 3 Headphone Jack

iPad 3 Headphone Jack, front and back views

Both have slide flex cables that connect the logic board

The headphone jack makeup is very similar

The connection from the Leaked Photos strongly resemble the logic board of the iPad 3

Same cable type: Black color and “lined.”

Opposite side: you can see a real example of the barcode typical to Apple Products

Problems with the Other Images as Genuine iPad Mini Photos

Nowhereelse.fr believes this is the iPad Mini headphone jack

iResq 's version of the iPad Mini headphone jack

Nowherelese.fr

Not a complete part, in that it has no port on it

No barcode

We think this looks like a mark-up part, used for testing before the final design

This photo they indicates that the headphone jack is going to be in close proximity to the charger port.

The home button flex positioning puts it at risk for tearing when disassembled.

Iresq

Doesn’t detail Apple Barcode very well

A copper colored coating, rather than the typical flat black. Apple hasn’t used this color since iPhone 2G. Apple is known for its crisp black cables

Also show the headphone jack close to charger port

The home button flex appears to be positioned underneath the charger port such that it would be at high risk for tearing when disassembling the device

One major difference between our photos and the others are that ours show the traditional setup: the headphone jack with a bit of distance before the charger port. The images from iResq and Nowhereelese.fr suggest that the jack and port will be closer together, making the iPad Mini more like a smartphone in design. Who’s right? That remains to be decided.

A few fun tips, tricks, hacks, and ideas to integrate your iPhone, beer and lifestyle.

There is very little that the iPhone cannot do, or improve upon. I bet you didn’t know it could improve your beer experience. That’s right. Since we’re in the middle of a heat wave, and everybody fantasizes about cracking open a cold one, I thought I’d put a Fix-iPhones.com spin on the idea, and show everybody how the iPhone can help you get your drink on.

iPhone Beer Opener

Check out this Opena iPhone case that acts as a lever bottle opener to protect your phone. I’m invisioning a future Swiss Army iPhone case that has a zillion survival capabilities, including Taser toothpick and nail clipper. But this is an excellent start.

The power block HACK for iPhone Beer Opening.

Have you seen this one? You simply use your power block from your iPhone, iPad or MacBook to break into a cold one. WAAAY better than using your teeth. Image repined via John Ludwig on Pinterest. Original source unavailable.

iPhone Beer Apps

Always looking for that next beautiful craft beer. Mosey on over and have a little look at this well-reviewed app. Craft Beer App by Affect Global has an extensive library of beers, each described in meaty detail. You can also rate and share your various beer experiences. Also has videos!

Need an alarm to remind you to drink your beer once you clock out? Neither do we, but this is a fun Instagram style app that allows you to share your good taste and Beer Preferences with your social networks, and to celebrate getting off work with a little good natured fun. Check out the New Belgium Beer App here.

And monitor your consumption of beer in this app, BeerStat. You can count your calories and set daily and weekly limits for moderation.

And finally, RepairGenius would like to remind you to please drink responsibly. Never drink and drive. All of these iPhone Beer ideas are fun, but none are worth someone getting hurt.

What does Apple Certification really mean?

I recently sat down for an interview with Jason Draper, our in-houseFix-iPhones RepairLabs ACMT (Apple Certified Mac Technician) to learn a little bit more about his training and what being ‘Apple Certified’ really means.

We got him off of caffeine long enough to snap a 'polariod'

So, is being Mac certified really that big of a deal?

Well, before the interview, Jason slipped me his password for his AppleCare Service Training Course, so I nosed through some of the requirements and course prep myself. I found out that each AppleCare certified tech mush have a thorough, tested knowledge in: Diagnostic, Hardware Tools, Troubleshooting Theory (with an Apple-defined problem solving strategy that the technicians are expected to use), and Recognizing Accidental Damage.

The test also requires extensive knowledge in: Embedded Battery Handling (proper handling in all manner of MacBooks), Electric Static Discharge Precautions, Power Management, LCD Service Issues and Repairs, and Hardware Service Issues. Hardware repairs include best practices for Electric Static Discharge procedures (ESD) – to strap and ground yourself to remove static electricity, as even tiny shocks “from rubbing your feet on the carpet can destroy a logic board, or put a hole in resistor or chips with one little poke,” says Jason.

The Wireless Networking capabilities the Mac Cert Techs are required to have include: setup, troubleshooting and repairs for AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule as well as Bluetooth products. He also has to be able to efficiently troubleshoot and service the iMac, MacBook, ‘Air, and ‘Pro.Jason explained that he must have a full working knowledge of repairing devices under warranty, and of what accidental damage may or may not be covered AppleCare. The course also makes certain that each tech has a clear knowledge of Reference sources, so he will know where to find the answers if he doesn’t know them off the top of his head.

If that’s not enough, the Course Objectives commonly include: Terminology, Underlying Technology, and phrases like “Trained to isolate the issue in 3 minutes or less.” My favorite among these objectives, verbatim, is:

“Given a set of instructions and an external drive, configure a known-good diagnostic drive with install and startup volumes in 25 minutes.”

Next: Break down an AK-47 in under 4 minutes. Really, these guys have to be the Marine Corps of geek. Each of the 30-some sections contains around 10 course objectives just like the (serious) ones above, and the tech in testing must be able to demonstrate any of these skills when called upon.

Jason explains that Apple certified techs can repair any iOS devices: iPad, iPhone, and portable and desktop Macs. They are trained to deal with dropped devices, cracked screens, glass, and housings. He had to learn Hardware and Software--especially the New iOS system, Lion. “It’s going to be very user friendly, I like it,” he commented.

One fascinating element of the training shows just how tough the Macs are and how good the new iOS is, insofar as the hardware so rarely breaks. The course explicitly states the reason it requires certification in not only the hardware, but especially the software:

Technicians might believe that understanding the Mac operating system is secondary when it comes to repairing hardware. This isn’t true. Over 75% of system malfunctions can be traced directly to misused, incorrectly set, or corrupted software.

“There’s so much more on a Mac that’s software related,” says Jason, “Their hardware rarely fails. It’s a different world with a PC.”

He explained that the test covers customer based support issues, such as simple problems with software, and how techs had to be able to talk the customers through how to fix them. Common problems include iTunes issues, update issues, and the iPhone not syncing correctly with a computer.

Not only that, he has to be able to help customers EMOTIONALLY cope with a damaged machine.” (C’mon, we’ve all felt the soul-crushing anguish of a broken device.) Apple doesn’t neglect training its techs to work with customer complaints and objections, reminding the techs that “Denial is very human.”

So not only does he have to be the repair guy, as well as the tech-support guy, he has to be the grief counselor and shrink to overwrought customers.

“I also like long walks on the beach with my Mac. And my wife. Who is beautiful. Sorry, Honey.” Jason adds, as he enumerates his talents. Apple also emphasizes ongoing education, and techs are required to recertify every year. Since becoming Apple Certified, the next step Jason would like to take is to become an Apple consultant.

Why the Leaked iPhone 5 Videos are Fake.

RepairLabs cries FOUL and takes issue with all of these so called new iPhone schematics that are being eagerly gobbled up by the web community. 9 to 5 Mac has just shared a video from Macotarkara, and I hate to be the one to break it to them (as I wholeheartedly love and respect this news source) but this isn’t the real deal. I’m afraid all the hype around this so-called prototype is nothing more than bunk and blather.

A still from the Macotakara video claiming to show iPhone 5 glass, in comparison to the current iPhone 4 in front of it.

First of all, we can’t really get in for a close look at the varmint. Yes, we ourselves have received less than perfect images from our sources, but couldn’t they get us a high resolution shot that we can really investigate? However we’re willing to concede that better images just may not be available if an anonymous source from a Chinese manufacturing company is providing the images. We’ve been in that position with our leak of iPad 3 Back Housing, back in Februray.

But take a look at the cuts on the metal around the casing. They aren’t the usual beautiful clean cuts that are typical of Apple’s quality standards. I’ve worked with hundreds of iPhones and Apple Products, and none have ever looked this bad. At best this is the work of a newbie CNC machinist. Look close in the 9 to 5 Mac image, right where the Home Button should be on the white casing. See those tiny lines? See how they stop right before the edge of the metal? Apple doesn’t do that. Their housings aren’t machined, they’re pressed. This casing looks as though it has been CNC milled – you can see the bit cuts, that round off as the blade makes the turn.

We think there's something fishy going on here...

Yes, it does have a barcode…because I couldn’t fake a barcode in five minutes with a stencil and some black Puffpaint.

I also take issue with the pill-shaped USB port. Apple has utilized the 30-Pin port since the release of the original iPod, back in November of 2001. That is eleven years, kids. Why would they change it now? The thousands of accessories out there are all going to be rendered useless. With their founder and leader gone can Apple really have abandoned their core design (pardon the pun) so soon?

There are cheap knock-offs out there, usually produced in China. The 2nd (right) image below bears a striking resemblance to the supposed blueprints. Check out the port on this image, kinda…pill shaped? Definitely not real Apple there. And the first (left) image is another fun example of how teriffically BAD the knockoffs can be. Hilariously, pitifully bad.

Two very bad knock-offs of the current iPhone 4

In this humble genius’ opinion, the ultra-secretive Apple company could possibly have leaked fakes in order to trace leaks.

Yes all of these things do match perfectly with the leaked schematics of late, but could it be a little too perfect? Couldn’t some unscrupulous, opportunistic start-up have created a quick and dirty mock up in order to get a million and a half YouTube hits? Hardware expert Adrian Kingsly-Hughes makes a compelling case (see link above) against those blueprints. Heck, we here at RepairLabs could easily make up our own glass front panel and plunk it up on the Internet claiming it’s real. In fact, this leaves me wondering, why didn’t we think of doing that?

No, I won’t go so far as to say that this isn’t the new design, but I’m mighty skeptical. One thing I’m certain of: these pictures are not real iPhone components.

Customized Color iPhone Housing, just like The Biebster

You can choose from a wide range of colors to customize your iphone.

Celebs Parade their Customized iPhones.

Custom housing colors for the iPhones are all the rage these days, and they’re reportedly being adopted left and right by all the hottest celebrities. Here at Fix-iPhones.com, we don’t just fix your iPhone, we can change your housing glass color too, and for only $249. Options even include picking one color for your phone housing and choosing a different color Home Button for extra customization.

As this Mashable article points out, it doesn’t usually come cheap, with other iPhone customization jobs starting at $1,050. This humble genius assumes that the stars had to pay a pretty penny for their custom phones.

Take for example Justin Bieber’s Internet-famed, jail-broken, red iPhone. And (even though there’s no proof whatsoever this is a photo of the Beibernator and not some Swedish kid living in his parent’s walk-out basement) it is rocking cool. True Beliebers swear up and down that scrawny arm and iPhone belong to him. And even if it’s not him per se, that color is hot enough that it ought tp belong to the Biebster. As @BiebsHeaven on Twitter hilariously intones:

@BiebsHeaven understands the awesome coolness and responsibility that comes with being Bieber.

Miley with her custom case; image from www.posh24.com

Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus also get in on the iPhone act. Kim carries a silver-mirrored iPhone—though it’s unclear whether it’s a custom casing job, or just the shiny, reflective surface of a case that’s caught her attention and is now her BFF <3 forever. Miley sports a royal blue iPhone case. The great thing about customizing your housing color is if you just don’t like the extra bulk of a case, and you're easy on your device, you can still shout out your allegiances and cool with with the color of your phone.

Kim loooves her pretty iPhone; image from kimkardashian.celebuzz.com

And if you feel like I’ve just listed off 3 the ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ in this post, take comfort in the fact that the iPhone did beat out Kim Kardashian for the #1 spot on Yahoo’s most searched terms of 2011, so we still probably do have a little while before the Zombie Apocalypse. And look at it this way: a custom color scheme will make it easier to bug out, fast, when the Zombies finally do come.

What color iPhone casing would you like? Let me know in the comments. I think I want “Zebra” with a lime green home button…

Left: Possible Version of iPhone 5 with only the screen sized increased. Center: Current iPhone 4S. Right: Possible Version of iPhone 5 with entire size increased. The difference is about as much as a stack of 10 pennies.

The rumors of the much anticipated 4-inch screen on the Apple iPhone 5 abound this week on the web. SinceReuters reaffirmed them yesterday, citing an anonymous source, it has become internet gospel and the source of countless artists’ mockups (some of the niftiest here on The Verge).

So how different is the reported new screen size? Apple’s Old Faithful screen size, 3.5 inches, is growing to a whopping 4-inch (on the diagonal) screen. And how can we visualize the increase? Some analogs for the actual size of that half-inch include.

A half-inch ear gaug

The hem on your pants (usually)

A stack of about 10 pennies

One half of an inch worm

For the ladies, the ½ inch barrel of a curling iron, for when you want those sassy spirals.Really? Half of an inchworm is going to make a revolutionary difference in the way we interface with the world? Around the repair shop, we are not impressed. Really, how much difference can 10 pennies worth of screen size actually make? Apple doesn’t need to compete with Samsung’s Note, or the Android. Come on people, they’re Apple. They defined the smartphone. Heck, they invented it. Literally invented it. So in that spirit, let’s think of reasons to abandon this cockamamie scheme that Apple has apparently entered into.

Cons

You’ll have to move your thumb to navigate the whole screen. We’ll lose the ability to swipe in a single motion.

iPhones have always had a 3.5 inch screen. Always.

A bigger phone? Less Pocket space? Who wants to hold a brick up to their ear? (It all depends on whether Apple will increase the size of the entire phone, or just the screen, as illustrated in our mockups above.)

Crowding the other features: ear speaker, mic, camera, and Home button, especially if the rest of the phone stays the same size.

The rumored smaller pill-shaped doc connector (what about all of my accessories??? Am I gonna hafta buy more adapters??)

Rumored to be slimmer, or rounded, so you have to buy a new case. Again.

A bigger screen could also require longer loading time. Not great when you’re trying to load a map.

But not so fast. In the interests of ‘journalistic integrity’ and fair and balanced blogging, maybe I should adopt the position of Devil’s Advocate and consider some of the benefits this increase in screen size. Consumers have begun to use their smartphones like we used to use laptops, for anything from watching videos to playing games, to reading the news to, DJing parties. Those little devices live in our pockets and backpacks and handbags. They go to the park and museum with us. We don’t like to be without them. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if the screen was just a little bit bigger…

Samsung has, after all, managed to sell some 20 million Galaxy II devices, which boast a 4.8-inch display. And the fact that not all of my Con points are precisely related to the ‘screen size’ gives me pause. Maybe this isn’t the absolute worst idea I’ve ever heard…There are a few good points to a larger screen size, providing I won’t experience even the tiniest inconvenience way from the change.

Fitting 4(!) more App Buttons on the Home Screen. Yesssssss. I can already feel my productivity skyrocketing.

Screenshots (See the link to the Verge above.) Look at how much Internet you can fit onto that baby! Check out the ‘Safari.app’ photo.

Now that I look at my 4S, it doesn’t reallllly seem to use all of that room around the screen, well, *ahem, efficiently. There’s kind of a lot of space by the home button and ear speaker. In fact, next to the Galaxy II, it seems downright clunky and tiny.

Shame on you, Apple, for making me feel clunky and tiny at the same time! How dare you? It makes me wonder why we simply didn’t have 4-inch screens to begin with. I guess that I will admit that I’ve been converted. In fact, I demand a 4-inch screen immediately. With production expected to start in August, and the device anticipated to be released (in high Apple Release-Date Tradition) in the fall, looks like I’m going to have to wait a few more months.

Looking at it this way, I’m willing to concede that maybe the change will do some good. As @HAL9000_ on Twitter points out:

“The iPhone 5 will have a 4 inch screen; Apple is finally admitting 3.5inches isn't enough, even if you do know how to use it.”

What do you think? Do the pros outweigh the cons? Does size really matter?

RepairLabshas already brought you exclusive images of the iPad 3 back housing. Now, just days before the official launch, this iPhone repair service can show you more pictures of Apple's latest release.

The picture above is the iPad 3 digitizer. This part controls the iPad's touch function, as well as includes your front glass. As you can see from our images, not much has changed in the look of your iPad. With the back housing in hand, and now with this piece, we can confirm your iPad will look a lot like the iPad 2, just that 1mm thicker. The picture above also proves that we will have the home button on the iPad 3, contrary to some reportsthat came out yesterday. We also can see that Apple is planning to have both black and white models of the iPad 3, which is not surprising.

Another change we have noticed is the digitizer connection. That difference between the iPad 3 and the digitizer part for the iPad 2 does confirm that the logic board will be different, just as we surmised by looking at the back housing.

Although there are quite a few internal changes coming for the iPad 3, including that much-anticipated LCD screen, the digitizer proves that Apple has not made any radical form changes to your favorite device.

Almost three weeks ago, your favorite iPhone repair company brought you the first images of the iPad 3 back housing. To say we got everyone talking might be somewhat of an understatement. Right after our pictures went viral, a slew of other leaks brought us a lot of information on the iPad 3 and what we can expect. With Apple's announcement only a week away, we still have some time to speculate on what we will hear about the tablet's update.

Before we were able to show you an unfortunately low-res picture of the iPad 3 back case. Now we have our own iPad 3 back housing, and our techs have spent some time examining it. Below are some of the changes we can confirm with our previous intel and other sources.

The LCD mount is different, and that coincides with the rumors and evidence we have had pointing to a higher resolution display that will be different from what we had on the iPad 2.

Now that we have had it in our hands, we can confirm the battery area of the iPad 3 is 5/8 inch larger than the iPad 2. More battery to allow for that high-resolution screen and to keep your iPad from the charger for the same amount of time we have grown accustomed to.

The charger port dock is different. After comparing the two iPads, our techs believe that the iPad 3 charging port has been beefed up to provide more stable support. We have had several customers with bent USB ports on iPad 1 and 2, and this added support should keep that from happening as often for iPad 3 users.

The housing on the iPad 3 is a measly 1mm thicker roughly, but it's such a minor change you probably wouldn't notice the difference.

Not a great deal of information, but enough to see where rumors are going right, and a lot to support them. Now we just have to wait that week until we are able to find out if all of the rumors were true.

RepairLabs is exclusively able to confirm some changes in the iPad 3, thanks to industry insiders in China. Pictured above is the new iPad 3 back housing, juxtaposed with the current back of the iPad 2. You can see that there are several subtle differences, and together with our techs, we are able to tell you just what to expect when Apple announces the iPad 3. We looked at the pieces closely, and below you can find our conclusions on what the obvious differences might mean, and how close some of the speculation has been.

A. You can see here that the mounts for the logic board are very different, which means the logic board shape will be different allowing for . . . .

B. More battery. The width of where the logic board sits on the iPad 2 appears much larger than that of the iPad 3. We have long heard that the iPad 3 was going to provide longer battery life, and this back housing seems to support that.

C. The camera is different. It is hard to make a judgment just by looking at the casing, but what we can expect is a different camera on the iPad 3 than what we had on the 2.

D. LCD will be different than what we have had before. Whether or not it will be the super screen we have seen reported will have to wait. But the different mounting does mean that the LCD has been redesigned at the very least.

The LCD is probably what most of us are eagerly awaiting, especially with some of the reports of the upgraded part. However, our insiders tell us that so far the screen is not out there yet. That could mean that the finished product has not been signed off or that it is being kept top secret.

Our source also told us that the housing itself did not seem thicker on the iPad 3 than it does on the 2. There have been a lot of reports that said the iPad 3 would be a millimeter or two thicker than the 2, and according to our source, that could be false. It is a little bit hard to conclude without measuring both with screens in place, however.

Whatever the case may be, this back housing provides an interesting look into the changes we can expect when the iPad 3 is officially announced.

From your favorite iPhone repair site comes another great app recommendation - and this one is a pretty awesome tool for only $1.99. MealBoard, simply put, lets you plan a menu for your week, import recipes, and takes the meals you've planned and creates a grocery list. Fully customizable and loaded with some great recipes already, MealBoard is easy to use and helps organize your meal times. Great for planning out family dinners or for those who want to plan ahead, you can even import recipes from top sites like AllRecipes.com and Epicurious. The web app gives you a lot more control and syncs back to your iPhone or iPad.

It customizes your grocery list, letting you know just how much you need. With MealBoard, you can even choose your portion sizes, which will in turn adjust your shopping list and recipe. Get organized and stop cooking spaghetti for every other meal!